Mutharika backs Mulakho, raises K60m: ‘Culture is like a tree with roots’

President Peter Mutharika has added his weight to the Muhlakho wa Alhomwe group which is normally criticised for being politicised by the ruling DPP, saying it is there to preserve culture like any other heritage groups.

The First couple dancing during the function. -Pic by Francis Mphweya

Mutharika made the remarks Friday evening during a fund raising dinner and dance for the Muhlakho wa Alhomwe grouping in Blantyre where K60 million was realised to assist during this year‘s Muhlakho annual cerebrations at Chonde headquarters in Thyolo on October 26.

“A person without cultural values is one without roots and that applies to the nation at large,” said Mutharika.

Mutharika noted that certain cultural skills could create jobs not only for the majority youths, but also for the older generation, hence the need to jealously preserve culture.

“Cultural skills can be improved and made marketable. This would create jobs for our young people and eventually make them self sufficient.”

Minister of information, tourism and culture, Kondwani Nankhumwa noted that culture had a vital role in promoting the country’s tourism industry.

“We need to promote traditional and cultural dances, food, medicines and many more because they help in attracting tourists which leads to income generation for the country,” said Nankhumwa.

He added: “Theatre and dances act as effective ways of disseminating developmental information and that also signifies the importance of culture to every nation.”

Chairperson of Muhlakho wa Alhomwe Bright Mangulama said their grouping had taken keen interest in imparting cultural values to the young generation, hence the opening of Lhomwe lessons in the country.

“ The Lhomwe culture and language was almost dying until the birth of Muhlakho wa Alhomwe six years ago which gave the Lhomwe people a sense of belonging and a formal way of enhancing their cultural values,” explained Mangulama.

Part of the K60 million raised during the event will assist in financing some of the grouping’s projects like the introduction of Lhomwe lessons throughout the country.

K60m can be used to construct 2 full primary school (10 school blocks), ie 8 classrooms, std 1 to 8, headmasters office and staff room for each school that has a life of over 40 years. Now we will blow K60m in 1 day and pupils still still earning under trees. Honesty Mw has not reached the level of this spending. K60m for 1 day cultural event!!

Kudos Mlakho! Until you visit Yod Abysinia chain of restaurants in Addis Ababa, you cant agree more with Kondwani on the importance of culture to tourism. In Addis families – I mean dad, mum and kids – go to restaurants for amusement; the food is traditional and affordable, making it accessible to Ethiopians as well. But in Malawi things are expensive, amusement is a monopoly for men, and we fail to integrate our culture in our goings on. it’s because we like talking more than action, and we are shameless about mediocrity.

Who told you that Alomwes are a major ethnic group in the south? Write from academic point of view not just dreaming or zammaluwa. Can a tribe be one of the largest with only one chief Ngolongoliwa? This is just like Likoma Island with one Traditional Leader, Can you call Likoma population as the largest in that part of the Federation?
The Chewas are the largest community in the country with 57% of the total population. Check with Statistical Office. And that is the whole reason Kamuzu made Chichewa as a national language.

Who doesn’t know that Mulhakho WA Alhomwe has turned into an Employment Bureau? 99.9999% of people being hired in top positions of government departments and agencies are Lhomwes fulfilling the agenda of Mulhakho WA Alhomwe.

Culture indeed is good as act as tool for development if well nurtured. But Mulhako was only born at the wrong time with the wrong agenda supported by wrong person bcoz i have not seen Obama been a patron of black heritage group. Go anywhere where there are black people u will find stinking poverty, ethnicity etc eg all black African countries, Haiti, black Americans etc are we a cursed race? (TB JOSHUA TELL ME) This is despite having culture which Mr President is saying. I tend to agree with my collegue who argues that our black race stand for all evil; black heart, thoughts, reasoning, planning etc thus why we have black future. See how we Malawians hate each with Lomwes, Chewas etc brain washed that all Tumbukas ndiozikonda komaso onyanda with Tumbuka also brain washed that other tribes are unintelligent when u see good lectures of those tribes. Please Malawians let us love one another promote unity so that we don’t fulfil the supposedly black curse. Our energies must be chanalled to reducing the stinking poverty which is in every tribe. After all we brothers & sisters in Christ, Islam & other religions hoping to see each other in heaven

I suggest chiLhomwe, as a language, should be introduced in schools. As an elective in secondary schools, for a starter. The language is quite advanced in Mozambique: just in case detractors start putting down the language, saying there is nothing on “paper”, etc.
I would line up to take an elementary course on-line, myself.

PEOPLE WOULD LIKE TO HEAR OR SEE DEVELOPMENTS PLEASE ! THIS IS NOT TIME FOR PARTIES;HONEY MOONS AND BRIDAL SHOWERS !! OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS NEED INT AIRPORT STADIUM GOOD ROADS IN THE NORTH LETS BE SERIOUS ENOUGH IN DOING THINGS PLEASE !! OUR NEIGHBOURS ARE LAUGHING AT US WE WAY WE ARE MANAGING OUR RESOURCES

last month we were celebrating somethn to do wt chikulamayembe n early ths month thre waz coronation of imkosi mbelwa v that is to signfy the importance of traditional leaders as custodians of culture n dvlpt,lets support the cauze for e betterment of a united Malawi!

Either this Mulakho thing is very unexciting in as far as the looks on Mutharika’s face can tell, or the dude is just one hell of an ugly guy, the logical implication that both assertions could be true notwithstanding. Hehehehedeee uluuuu!